Investigation of electrothermal and photothermal actuation performance in V2CTx/PE composites

A soft actuator converts external energy sources like electricity, light, heat, and humidity into mechanical energy.These actuators are widely used in biomedicine, artificial muscles, electrical switches, and data encryption. MXenes, as two-dimensional materials, provide significant advantages, including high hydrophilicity and excellent photothermal and electrothermal conversion capabilities. However, research on MXene-based actuators has mainly focused on Ti 3 C 2 T x , leaving the potential of other MXene materials underexplored. This study developed V 2 CT x /PE film-based stimulus-responsive actuators using lamination and cutting techniques, considering the differing thermal expansion and hygroscopic properties of V 2 CT x and PE films, and examined their electrothermal and photothermal properties. Under a light power density of 70 mW/cm², the V 2 CT x /PE film actuator achieved a bending angle of 61°.The application of the V 2 CT x /PE actuator in smart curtains and crawling machines demonstrates the potential of stimulus-responsive MXene-based composite films for use in smart home technologies and robotics.